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Should We Be Wary of Cambodia’s New Funan Techo Canal on the Mekong?
The intricate balance between economic growth and the environment
In August 2024, the groundbreaking ceremony of Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal sparked controversy in the overlooked corner of southeast Asia.
Connecting the Mekong River and the Gulf of Thailand, starting from the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, to Kep, the 180-km canal is an ambitious undertaking as Cambodia wishes to reduce dependency on foreign ports for maritime trade.
Neighbouring countries — Laos, Vietnam and Thailand — are dismayed by the possible detrimental effects on the fragile ecological systems of the Mekong River. The United States is also an opponent, as this infrastructure is suspected to be part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with the Chinese providing funding and expertise to the project.
Not only a geopolitical conundrum, the Funan Techo Canal also raised environmentalist concerns. They cited the detrimental ecological effects observed in other major canals, such as the Suez Canal, and contextualized the environmental problems the Mekong is already facing.
